The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1887-11-16

Folz, the manly looking Rev. DR.. Bolton
and a score of stslwert Deputies stepped
Up ciose to the open door of August Spies,
csll, preparatory to reading the death
warrant to the four condemned men.
Twenty minutes were occupied In this
tryirg formality. rendered doubly an or
deal by the horrible silence prevailing
and by the sickenipg odor coming from
the room where lay the bloody corpse of
their comrade, Louis Lingg. the suicide.
Directly above in their cell doors the dark
besIds and dsi ker eyes of the two commut-
ed Ansicb SamuelFielden aud Sch Wab.
Sheriff Natson, with quick breath and
heart beating high, carried unsteadily in
his hand the documents ordering him to
carry out the senteI &c of the law. They
were written on q ~ typewriter and all duly
attested. The huge iron door swung back
on its hir ges and Spies stepped firmly for
ward in front of bis guard to listen to the
reading of the document with his head
barred and slightly inclined forward. The
81 efih be gan reading. Commencing in q
low voice, scarcely audible five feet away.
he slowly and carefully pronounced every
separate word. AS the reading progressed
he assumed his natural tone of voice
and lot stumbling or mistake occurred
from beginning to end. Not a syllable
was uttered by any one but the sheriff,
and no other sourd but his voice was heard
save the snbdued ticking of the telegraph
instruments few feet away. SDies listened
carefully 10 all that was said, but his face
did rot char &c for an instant during the
reading. though il occupied at least four
MINUTES. When Sheriff Matson finished,
Spies looked at him a moment steadily
but without malevolence and then said,
ser tt niiously: "Sherif, you are about to
commit judicial murder" He said moth
ing more but stepped quickly from his cell
threshold, giving himself to be pinioned,
and then to be hidden in one of the snow
white shrouds at which deputy carried
an aImful. Spies, while being bound, was
seen TO be dTesss in pair of dark wooden
trousers and shirt OF light gray hsnnel
fastened at the throat with q tiny red
cord. His feet were incased in a pair OF
embroidered slippers. Fresh beard was
| growing On his chin, and his light curly
] hair was brushed back carelessly. Taking
| his watch from bis pocket be handed il to
q deputy, requesting him to deliver it to
| bis mother. A strong leather belt was
then passed around his body securely fast.
/ eniDg his arms straight down to where a
| pair of bright nickel plated mauscies be-
| hind him fastened lis wrists together. A
mon emf later his body was completely
eL veloped in a sbroud, loosely gathered
/ about the neck
The Sheriff was a dressing Adolph
Fischer, who was even more Indifferent
/ than Spies at the formaliIy. Like Spies,
| be told the sheriff that il was q judicial
murder. Fischer had his SLOUGH hat on,
but removed it as he stepped out of his
| cell. He was neatly dressed in a blue
flannel shirt new dark breeches, and had
/ been shaved but a few hours before. He
nodded to Spies in pleasant manner and
/ asked him in German how he felt. Spies
| smiled good naturedlr, and replied that
| he felt first rate
] Ell gel heard the reading of the death
| wsuant with stolid indifference, and did
not utter a single word OF Comment. A
few minutes later, while standing beside
j Spies 81 d Fischer, he said, well, " as il to
| inquire their feelings. Spi,s and Fischer
replied by smiling cheerily aud nodding.
| Before their aims were pinl0ned all of
the men shook hands with Jailer Folz and
the deputies surrounding them, with all
of whom they mad become we'll acquainted
| during their many months confinement
Parsons warrant was read last. he
| seemed to have nerved himself up to q
great tension, and had nothing to say in
reply. Like Eugel he was clad in a full
suit Of black dress clothes even to a Prince
! Albert coat. He stepped lightly from his
| cell when The reading was finished, but
| drew back inyoluntarily at the sight OF
the. three ghostly-lookipg figures blunt
and shrouded before him. :, Bind me
| tight" he said, land be sure and make no
mistake" but the deputy complied too
well. Parsons had him reach under the
shroud and ease one of the straps. That's
better" be remarked, with smile. 'Now
l am ready"
Forming in double file, each of the four
Anarchists side by side with a deputy
were now headed east and started for the
gelloWs. A stop at the iron door of the
cages gave the four chance to turn their
beads IN the direction OF the second gal
lery of the Jail and bid goodbye several
times to Scbwab and Fielden, receiving
broken cultural farewell salutes in return.
Here again the spiritual consolation was
offered by the Rev. DR. Bolton, now for
the last time. A sarcastic smile lit up the
faces OF all four men, as they resumed
their tread along the corridor and turned
slowly into the dark east angle, disappear
ing like ghosts up the steps of the gallows
UPoN THE scAFFoLD.
1t lacked just seven minutes and q half
OF the hour of high noon when a single
white shrouded figure above which was
face of yellowish pallor, the face OF August
Spies, passed the first post OF the gallows.
The gaping crowd, ten feet below, half rose
inyoluntarily from their chairs at the first
glimpse OF the aPparition advancing across
the sca10ld. Spies looked calm and
glanced down at the reporters with trace
OF his oId-time cynical smile. He walked
firmly over the drop, guided by the grasp
of deputy, to the furthest edge OF the
gallows. Following close came Fischer
close enough to touch Spies STROUD had
his hand not been pinioned under
the white muslin.-Fischer's counteuance
had peculiar glistea totally unlike the
ashiness OF Engel's heavy features, and in
strange contrast with the dead lack of color
in the pinehed hneaments of Parsons. The
once ja1nty, vIyacious Texan came last,
q vithered old man. He had aged twenty
years since the day and hour, scarce
twelve months before, when he tripped
lightly into the court before Judge Gary,
and hippantly declared that be was ready
| to be tried at once for his life. The mo-
meht his feet touched the scaffold, Par
sons seemed to completely lose his identi-
" and to feel that hisi.spirit was no Ion
/ ger part of his body. He had wrought
himself to an ecstaey OF solemn self-glori-
ication. Only he-the one American
seemed to realize to the full that
| be must die in manner to
impress il possible on all future
generations the thought that he was a
martyr. No trsgedian that has paced
siege in America ever made a more mar
vfllous presentation of q self chosen part,
perfec. in every detail. The upward turn
of his eyes, his distant, far away look. and
above all, the attitude of apparent COM
pleie resignation that every fold of the
l..